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Health outcomes of obesity among older persons revealed by community‐based screening questionnaire
Author(s) -
Jensen Gordon Lee,
Silver Heidi J,
SmiciklasWright Helen,
Still Christopher
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.lb86-a
Subject(s) - medicine , overweight , polypharmacy , depression (economics) , obesity , logistic regression , gerontology , environmental health , family medicine , economics , macroeconomics
Objective To pilot test a Nutrition Health Outcomes Questionnaire (NHOQ) designed to identify overweight / obese persons at risk for functional decline and increased healthcare use. Methods The NHOQ is a 14‐item self‐administered survey that queries body weight / weight change, dietary practice, eating difficulty, food security, depression, medication / supplement use, living environment, functional status, general health, obesity‐related conditions and healthcare use. A sample of 1324 community‐dwelling older adults from the Geisinger Rural Aging Study responded with complete mailed surveys. Responses were analyzed by gender and BMI category per NIH Guidelines. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between the BMI categories and independent variables. Results Respondents were 73–105 years (78.4 ± 4.6) and 47.6% male. BMI was ≥25 for 71.3% and ≥30 for 26.5%. Obese persons reported higher prevalence of depression, special diets, television watching while eating meals, fair / poor general health, polypharmacy, functional limitations, use of an assistance device, comorbid conditions and physician visits. Associations were observed at BMI ≥35 for reporting any functional limitation (1.82 / 1.02–3.25; OR / 95% CI), increased disease burden (4.31 / 2.34–7.92), and ≥4 physician visits over prior 12‐months (2.06 / 1.29–3.42). Discussion The NHOQ may be a feasible approach to screening for adverse health outcomes of overweight / obese older adults in the community setting. Further validity testing is required. Support – USDA, ARS, Agreement 58‐1950‐1‐137.